It was a match made in Arbitron heaven.
It was April 3, 2000, when “Mike and Kacey in the Morning” show made its debut on 100.7 WHUD.
Five years into their on-air gig they were honored by the New York State Broadcasters Association as the “Best Morning Show” in the state.
Now at nearly the 10-year mark, the two own the top morning show in Westchester County and in the Hudson Valley.
“I think the ratings say we”™re No. 1 in the universe,” Kacey laughs from behind her microphone off the air. Not missing a beat, Mike replies, “But we lost some listeners on Pluto, though.”
It”™s this kind of fun energy and chemistry that connects with their listeners.
Dare to enter their studio at the 7:30 a.m. mark at your own risk. Consider it the perfect storm in their 5:30 to 10 a.m. show.
News, weather, traffic, a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance by a class of first-graders, phone calls from listeners, a reading of a list of celebrities and locals marking their birthdays ”“ all are punctuated by Mike shouting numbers, waving an arm and hitting buttons on the sound board. It is enough to make one”™s head spin.
But in the eye of this storm, Kacey and Mike remain calm. Just another day at the office.
The two probably have the most recognizable voices between Albany and New York City, excluding fellow Hudson Valley resident James Earl Jones.
Kacey”™s seductive voice, similar to fitness guru Denise Austin but without the rasp, is the yin to Mike”™s yang.
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Asked if they always get along as well as they did one recent morning, Kacey said, “Normally, we”™re fist fighting.”
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Kacey waves away a question about getting second billing with “Regis wouldn”™t allow it,” referring to Regis Philbin”™s top billing in his TV show, “Live with Regis and Kelly.”
WHUD has been in the adult contemporary format since the early 1980s.
“Since that time we”™ve had three morning shows ”“ Joe O”™Brien, one of the original MCA Good Guys, Ed Baer and Mike Bennett and Kacey,” Program Director Steve Petrone said.
As a bit of history, The Good Guys moniker was created for radio deejays who worked for Top 40 radio station WMCA in New York City. Ed Baer joined the original group in 1961. O”™Brien did special weekend shows for WHUD until 2000. He died in 2005 at age 90 in a car crash.
In addition to O”™Brien, the original group consisted of Harry Harrison, Jack Spector, Don Davis and Jim Harriott.
Longevity is a mainstay with the radio station, starting with Petrone who has 30 years; John Nolan, overnight host, 20-plus years; Tom Furci, music director and midday host, 10-plus years; and Andy Bale, afternoon drive host, 10-plus years.
“In an industry that is ever changing, we are especially proud of our stability,” Petrone said.
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WHUD is a 50,000-watt Class B radio station, one of only three between New York City and Albany. Owned by Pamal Broadcasting, WHUD is the southernmost of the three big signals, Petrone said, with the other two being sister station K104 and Cumulus Broadcasting”™s WPDH.
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WHUD is licensed to Peekskill with the tower located in Philipstown, Petrone said.
“Historically, WHUD is the No. 1-rated radio station in the Hudson Valley. Up until the turn of the century, much of that ratings success was derived from central and northern Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Orange counties. Post-2000, the decision was made to actively market the radio station south of (Interstate) 287 in Westchester and north of I-84 in Dutchess. Over the next 10 years, our ratings grew substantially.”
Petrone said the station has heavily invested in its service elements ”“ weather, traffic, news and school closings during the winter months.
“We all know that there is a difference between the weather in Yonkers and the weather in Yorktown or Monroe or Poughkeepsie. Our listeners want to know where that rain/snow line is going to be,” Petrone said. For that reason, Mike Geary ”“ “a real meteorologist with knowledge of the Hudson Valley” ”“ was hired and his live forecasts run twice every hour live in drive time.
Traffic information is reported twice an hour during the peak travel times in the morning and evening. The radio news team consists of News Director Brian Jones and Sue Guzman, who runs the Westchester Bureau.
WHUD is the official school closing radio station of Westchester and the Hudson Valley, Petrone said. “This has long been a staple of the station and this is a responsibility that we take seriously. In 2008, we introduced school closing notification via text messaging as a free service for the region.”
As for doing something special for their 10th anniversary, Mike and Kacey remain close-lipped. “We”™re discussing ideas,” is all Mike would say. But stay tuned.
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Starting this week, headlines from the top business stories in Westfair Business Publications will be heard each morning on WHUD.
The partnership with Pamal Broadcasting will also include linking to each other”™s websites and developing special business events.
